Latest news with #Cognition
Yahoo
a day ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Philanthropic Donor Funds Cognition Therapeutics' Expanded Access Program for Zervimesine (CT1812) in Dementia with Lewy Bodies
Dr. James Galvin of the University of Miami to Serve as Lead Investigator First Site Initiated: Banner Sun Health Research Institute PURCHASE, N.Y., June 03, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Cognition Therapeutics, Inc., (the 'Company' or 'Cognition') (NASDAQ: CGTX), a clinical-stage company developing drugs that treat neurodegenerative disorders, announced today it has received an anonymous philanthropic donation to substantially fund an expanded access program (EAP) for people with dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB). The generous donation comes from the family of a DLB patient who was treated with zervimesine in the Phase 2 SHIMMER study. Through this open-label EAP, participants will be provided with 100 mg of oral zervimesine to take daily for approximately one year. Banner Sun Health Research Institute in Arizona is the first of eight sites to be activated, with David Shprecher, DO Msci serving as primary investigator at the site. 'At Cognition, our ultimate goal is to create a therapy that changes lives. We are moving as rapidly as possible to onboard participating sites so that we can begin providing zervimesine to eligible patients this month,' stated Lisa Ricciardi, president and CEO of Cognition Therapeutics. 'Throughout the SHIMMER study, we have enjoyed a collaborative relationship with Drs. Galvin and Shprecher and their staffs. Their commitment and that of the Cognition team has been instrumental in launching the EAP so rapidly. Cognition would like to extend our sincere thanks to the benefactor and all stakeholders who made this program a reality.' Dr. James E. Galvin, MD, MPH, will act as lead investigator for the multi-center, open-label EAP. Dr. Galvin is the director of the Comprehensive Center for Brain Health at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine and was the study director and principal investigator on the SHIMMER study grant from the National Institute of Aging. Dr. Galvin added, 'As a physician, it's always rewarding when you are able to offer a medication to a patient that may make a meaningful impact on their health. To have touched the anonymous donor's life so meaningfully that they felt compelled to support an expanded access program for so many people is humbling and rewarding. This program is a unique opportunity, and one that my colleagues and I are excited to be involved in.' Initially, the EAP will be able to accommodate approximately 30 individuals, who will be treated with 100 mg of once-daily oral zervimesine for approximately one year. Additional patients may be treated as funding and drug supply allows. The EAP will be open to eligible SHIMMER participants who completed the Phase 2 study as well as additional patients with a diagnosis of mild-to-moderate DLB who meet the criteria for this program. Eight U.S. sites, all of which were active in the SHIMMER study, were selected to participate in the EAP. Banner Sun Health Research Institute is the first participating site to be activated. Dr. Shprecher, Banner Health's movement disorder director and a clinical associate professor at the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Phoenix, will serve as the site's EAP investigator. Dr. Shprecher also served as an investigator for the Phase 2 SHIMMER study. About the EAPThe EAP will operate under a new protocol and will be referred to as COG1202. As an investigational medicine, zervimesine has not been approved by regulatory authorities. Therefore, the safety and efficacy of zervimesine have not been fully characterized and there may be risks associated with its use. If you are a patient or caregiver wishing to know more about this EAP for DLB, we encourage you to discuss this Program with your treating physician. If you are a treating physician and are seeking information about the zervimesine EAP or would like to request access for a patient, please contact EAP@ More information is available on under study identifier NCT06961760. About Cognition Therapeutics, Inc. Cognition Therapeutics, Inc., is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company discovering and developing innovative, small molecule therapeutics targeting age-related degenerative disorders of the central nervous system. We are currently investigating our lead candidate, zervimesine (CT1812), in clinical programs in dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) and Alzheimer's disease, including the ongoing START study (NCT05531656) in early Alzheimer's disease. We believe zervimesine can regulate pathways that are impaired in these diseases though its interaction with the sigma-2 receptor, a mechanism that is functionally distinct from other approaches for the treatment of degenerative diseases. More about Cognition Therapeutics and our pipeline can be found at Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All statements contained in this press release or made during the conference, other than statements of historical facts or statements that relate to present facts or current conditions, including but not limited to, statements regarding our product candidates, including zervimesine (CT1812), and any expected or implied benefits or results, including that initial clinical results observed with respect to zervimesine will be replicated in later trials and our clinical development plans, including statements regarding our clinical studies of zervimesine and any analyses of the results therefrom, are forward-looking statements. These statements, including statements relating to the timing and expected results of our clinical trials involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other important factors that may cause our actual results, performance, or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance, or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by terms such as 'may,' 'might,' 'will,' 'should,' 'expect,' 'plan,' 'aim,' 'seek,' 'anticipate,' 'could,' 'intend,' 'target,' 'project,' 'contemplate,' 'believe,' 'estimate,' 'predict,' 'forecast,' 'potential' or 'continue' or the negative of these terms or other similar expressions. We have based these forward-looking statements largely on our current expectations and projections about future events and financial trends that we believe may affect our business, financial condition, and results of operations. These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this press release and are subject to a number of risks, uncertainties and assumptions, some of which cannot be predicted or quantified and some of which are beyond our control. Factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from current expectations include, but are not limited to: competition; our ability to secure new (and retain existing) grant funding; our ability to grow and manage growth, maintain relationships with suppliers and retain our management and key employees; our ability to successfully advance our current and future product candidates through development activities, preclinical studies and clinical trials and costs related thereto; uncertainties inherent in the results of preliminary data, pre-clinical studies and earlier-stage clinical trials being predictive of the results of early or later-stage clinical trials; the timing, scope and likelihood of regulatory filings and approvals, including regulatory approval of our product candidates; changes in applicable laws or regulations; the possibility that the we may be adversely affected by other economic, business or competitive factors, including ongoing economic uncertainty; our estimates of expenses and profitability; the evolution of the markets in which we compete; our ability to implement our strategic initiatives and continue to innovate our existing products; our ability to defend our intellectual property; the impacts of ongoing global and regional conflicts on our business, supply chain and labor force; our ability to maintain the listing of our common stock on the Nasdaq Global Market; and the risks and uncertainties described more fully in the 'Risk Factors' section of our annual and quarterly reports filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission and are available at These risks are not exhaustive and we face both known and unknown risks. You should not rely on these forward-looking statements as predictions of future events. The events and circumstances reflected in our forward-looking statements may not be achieved or occur, and actual results could differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. Moreover, we operate in a dynamic industry and economy. New risk factors and uncertainties may emerge from time to time, and it is not possible for management to predict all risk factors and uncertainties that we may face. Except as required by applicable law, we do not plan to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements contained herein, whether as a result of any new information, future events, changed circumstances or otherwise. Contact Information: Cognition Therapeutics, Inc. info@ Casey McDonald (media) Tiberend Strategic Advisors, Inc. cmcdonald@ Mike Moyer (investors) LifeSci Advisors mmoyer@ This press release was published by a CLEAR® Verified in to access your portfolio
Associated Press
a day ago
- Business
- Associated Press
Philanthropic Donor Funds Cognition Therapeutics' Expanded Access Program for Zervimesine (CT1812) in Dementia with Lewy Bodies
Dr. James Galvin of the University of Miami to Serve as Lead Investigator First Site Initiated: Banner Sun Health Research Institute PURCHASE, N.Y., June 03, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Cognition Therapeutics, Inc., (the 'Company' or 'Cognition') (NASDAQ: CGTX), a clinical-stage company developing drugs that treat neurodegenerative disorders, announced today it has received an anonymous philanthropic donation to substantially fund an expanded access program (EAP) for people with dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB). The generous donation comes from the family of a DLB patient who was treated with zervimesine in the Phase 2 SHIMMER study. Through this open-label EAP, participants will be provided with 100 mg of oral zervimesine to take daily for approximately one year. Banner Sun Health Research Institute in Arizona is the first of eight sites to be activated, with David Shprecher, DO Msci serving as primary investigator at the site. 'At Cognition, our ultimate goal is to create a therapy that changes lives. We are moving as rapidly as possible to onboard participating sites so that we can begin providing zervimesine to eligible patients this month,' stated Lisa Ricciardi, president and CEO of Cognition Therapeutics. 'Throughout the SHIMMER study, we have enjoyed a collaborative relationship with Drs. Galvin and Shprecher and their staffs. Their commitment and that of the Cognition team has been instrumental in launching the EAP so rapidly. Cognition would like to extend our sincere thanks to the benefactor and all stakeholders who made this program a reality.' Dr. James E. Galvin, MD, MPH, will act as lead investigator for the multi-center, open-label EAP. Dr. Galvin is the director of the Comprehensive Center for Brain Health at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine and was the study director and principal investigator on the SHIMMER study grant from the National Institute of Aging. Dr. Galvin added, 'As a physician, it's always rewarding when you are able to offer a medication to a patient that may make a meaningful impact on their health. To have touched the anonymous donor's life so meaningfully that they felt compelled to support an expanded access program for so many people is humbling and rewarding. This program is a unique opportunity, and one that my colleagues and I are excited to be involved in.' Initially, the EAP will be able to accommodate approximately 30 individuals, who will be treated with 100 mg of once-daily oral zervimesine for approximately one year. Additional patients may be treated as funding and drug supply allows. The EAP will be open to eligible SHIMMER participants who completed the Phase 2 study as well as additional patients with a diagnosis of mild-to-moderate DLB who meet the criteria for this program. Eight U.S. sites, all of which were active in the SHIMMER study, were selected to participate in the EAP. Banner Sun Health Research Institute is the first participating site to be activated. Dr. Shprecher, Banner Health's movement disorder director and a clinical associate professor at the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Phoenix, will serve as the site's EAP investigator. Dr. Shprecher also served as an investigator for the Phase 2 SHIMMER study. About the EAP The EAP will operate under a new protocol and will be referred to as COG1202. As an investigational medicine, zervimesine has not been approved by regulatory authorities. Therefore, the safety and efficacy of zervimesine have not been fully characterized and there may be risks associated with its use. If you are a patient or caregiver wishing to know more about this EAP for DLB, we encourage you to discuss this Program with your treating physician. If you are a treating physician and are seeking information about the zervimesine EAP or would like to request access for a patient, please contact [email protected]. More information is available on under study identifier NCT06961760. About Cognition Therapeutics, Inc. Cognition Therapeutics, Inc., is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company discovering and developing innovative, small molecule therapeutics targeting age-related degenerative disorders of the central nervous system. We are currently investigating our lead candidate, zervimesine (CT1812), in clinical programs in dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) and Alzheimer's disease, including the ongoing START study ( NCT05531656 ) in early Alzheimer's disease. We believe zervimesine can regulate pathways that are impaired in these diseases though its interaction with the sigma-2 receptor, a mechanism that is functionally distinct from other approaches for the treatment of degenerative diseases. More about Cognition Therapeutics and our pipeline can be found at Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All statements contained in this press release or made during the conference, other than statements of historical facts or statements that relate to present facts or current conditions, including but not limited to, statements regarding our product candidates, including zervimesine (CT1812), and any expected or implied benefits or results, including that initial clinical results observed with respect to zervimesine will be replicated in later trials and our clinical development plans, including statements regarding our clinical studies of zervimesine and any analyses of the results therefrom, are forward-looking statements. These statements, including statements relating to the timing and expected results of our clinical trials involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other important factors that may cause our actual results, performance, or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance, or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by terms such as 'may,' 'might,' 'will,' 'should,' 'expect,' 'plan,' 'aim,' 'seek,' 'anticipate,' 'could,' 'intend,' 'target,' 'project,' 'contemplate,' 'believe,' 'estimate,' 'predict,' 'forecast,' 'potential' or 'continue' or the negative of these terms or other similar expressions. We have based these forward-looking statements largely on our current expectations and projections about future events and financial trends that we believe may affect our business, financial condition, and results of operations. These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this press release and are subject to a number of risks, uncertainties and assumptions, some of which cannot be predicted or quantified and some of which are beyond our control. Factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from current expectations include, but are not limited to: competition; our ability to secure new (and retain existing) grant funding; our ability to grow and manage growth, maintain relationships with suppliers and retain our management and key employees; our ability to successfully advance our current and future product candidates through development activities, preclinical studies and clinical trials and costs related thereto; uncertainties inherent in the results of preliminary data, pre-clinical studies and earlier-stage clinical trials being predictive of the results of early or later-stage clinical trials; the timing, scope and likelihood of regulatory filings and approvals, including regulatory approval of our product candidates; changes in applicable laws or regulations; the possibility that the we may be adversely affected by other economic, business or competitive factors, including ongoing economic uncertainty; our estimates of expenses and profitability; the evolution of the markets in which we compete; our ability to implement our strategic initiatives and continue to innovate our existing products; our ability to defend our intellectual property; the impacts of ongoing global and regional conflicts on our business, supply chain and labor force; our ability to maintain the listing of our common stock on the Nasdaq Global Market; and the risks and uncertainties described more fully in the 'Risk Factors' section of our annual and quarterly reports filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission and are available These risks are not exhaustive and we face both known and unknown risks. You should not rely on these forward-looking statements as predictions of future events. The events and circumstances reflected in our forward-looking statements may not be achieved or occur, and actual results could differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. Moreover, we operate in a dynamic industry and economy. New risk factors and uncertainties may emerge from time to time, and it is not possible for management to predict all risk factors and uncertainties that we may face. Except as required by applicable law, we do not plan to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements contained herein, whether as a result of any new information, future events, changed circumstances or otherwise. This press release was published by a CLEAR® Verified individual.
Time of India
2 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Weaponised storytelling: How AI is helping researchers sniff out disinformation campaigns
HighlightsThe Cognition, Narrative and Culture Lab at Florida International University is developing artificial intelligence tools to detect disinformation campaigns that utilize narrative persuasion techniques. Disinformation, which is intentionally fabricated to mislead, differs from misinformation, and recent incidents like the manipulation of social media by foreign adversaries have highlighted the dangers of such tactics in influencing U.S. politics. AI systems are being trained to recognize cultural nuances and narrative structures, enabling better identification of disinformation that exploits symbols and sentiments within targeted communities. It is not often that cold, hard facts determine what people care most about and what they believe. Instead, it is the power and familiarity of a well-told story that reigns supreme. Whether it's a heartfelt anecdote, a personal testimony or a meme echoing familiar cultural narratives, stories tend to stick with us, move us and shape our beliefs. This characteristic of storytelling is precisely what can make it so dangerous when wielded by the wrong hands. For decades, foreign adversaries have used narrative tactics in efforts to manipulate public opinion in the United States. Social media platforms have brought new complexity and amplification to these campaigns. The phenomenon garnered ample public scrutiny after evidence emerged of Russian entities exerting influence over election-related material on Facebook in the lead-up to the 2016 election. While artificial intelligence is exacerbating the problem, it is at the same time becoming one of the most powerful defences against such manipulations. Researchers have been using machine learning techniques to analyze disinformation content. At the Cognition, Narrative and Culture Lab at Florida International University , we are building AI tools to help detect disinformation campaigns that employ tools of narrative persuasion. We are training AI to go beyond surface-level language analysis to understand narrative structures, trace personas and timelines and decode cultural references. Disinformation vs misinformation In July 2024, the Department of Justice disrupted a Kremlin-backed operation that used nearly a thousand fake social media accounts to spread false narratives. These weren't isolated incidents. They were part of an organized campaign, powered in part by AI. Disinformation differs crucially from misinformation. While misinformation is simply false or inaccurate information - getting facts wrong - disinformation is intentionally fabricated and shared specifically to mislead and manipulate. A recent illustration of this came in October 2024, when a video purporting to show a Pennsylvania election worker tearing up mail-in ballots marked for Donald Trump swept platforms such as X and Facebook. Within days, the FBI traced the clip to a Russian influence outfit, but not before it racked up millions of views. This example vividly demonstrates how foreign influence campaigns artificially manufacture and amplify fabricated stories to manipulate US politics and stoke divisions among Americans. Humans are wired to process the world through stories. From childhood, we grow up hearing stories, telling them and using them to make sense of complex information. Narratives don't just help people remember - they help us feel. They foster emotional connections and shape our interpretations of social and political events. This makes them especially powerful tools for persuasion - and, consequently, for spreading disinformation. A compelling narrative can override scepticism and sway opinion more effectively than a flood of statistics. For example, a story about rescuing a sea turtle with a plastic straw in its nose often does more to raise concern about plastic pollution than volumes of environmental data. Usernames, cultural context and narrative time Using AI tools to piece together a picture of the narrator of a story, the timeline for how they tell it and cultural details specific to where the story takes place can help identify when a story doesn't add up. Narratives are not confined to the content users share - they also extend to the personas users construct to tell them. Even a social media handle can carry persuasive signals. We have developed a system that analyzes usernames to infer demographic and identity traits such as name, gender, location, sentiment and even personality, when such cues are embedded in the handle. This work, presented in 2024 at the International Conference on Web and Social Media, highlights how even a brief string of characters can signal how users want to be perceived by their audience. For example, a user attempting to appear as a credible journalist might choose a handle like @JamesBurnsNYT rather than something more casual like @JimB_NYC. Both may suggest a male user from New York, but one carries the weight of institutional credibility. Disinformation campaigns often exploit these perceptions by crafting handles that mimic authentic voices or affiliations. Although a handle alone cannot confirm whether an account is genuine, it plays an important role in assessing overall authenticity. By interpreting usernames as part of the broader narrative an account presents, AI systems can better evaluate whether an identity is manufactured to gain trust, blend into a target community or amplify persuasive content. This kind of semantic interpretation contributes to a more holistic approach to disinformation detection - one that considers not just what is said but who appears to be saying it and why. Also, stories don't always unfold chronologically. A social media thread might open with a shocking event, flash back to earlier moments and skip over key details in between. Humans handle this effortlessly - we're used to fragmented storytelling. But for AI, determining a sequence of events based on a narrative account remains a major challenge. Our lab is also developing methods for timeline extraction, teaching AI to identify events, understand their sequence and map how they relate to one another, even when a story is told in nonlinear fashion. Objects and symbols often carry different meanings in different cultures, and without cultural awareness, AI systems risk misinterpreting the narratives they analyze. Foreign adversaries can exploit cultural nuances to craft messages that resonate more deeply with specific audiences, enhancing the persuasive power of disinformation. Consider the following sentence: "The woman in the white dress was filled with joy." In a Western context, the phrase evokes a happy image. But in parts of Asia , where white symbolizes mourning or death, it could feel unsettling or even offensive. In order to use AI to detect disinformation that weaponises symbols, sentiments and storytelling within targeted communities, it's critical to give AI this sort of cultural literacy. In our research, we've found that training AI on diverse cultural narratives improves its sensitivity to such distinctions. Who benefits from narrative-aware AI? Narrative-aware AI tools can help intelligence analysts quickly identify orchestrated influence campaigns or emotionally charged storylines that are spreading unusually fast. They might use AI tools to process large volumes of social media posts in order to map persuasive narrative arcs, identify near-identical storylines and flag coordinated timing of social media activity. Intelligence services could then use countermeasures in real time. In addition, crisis-response agencies could swiftly identify harmful narratives, such as false emergency claims during natural disasters. Social media platforms could use these tools to efficiently route high-risk content for human review without unnecessary censorship. Researchers and educators could also benefit by tracking how a story evolves across communities, making narrative analysis more rigorous and shareable. Ordinary users can also benefit from these technologies. The AI tools could flag social media posts in real time as possible disinformation, allowing readers to be sceptical of suspect stories, thus counteracting falsehoods before they take root. As AI takes on a greater role in monitoring and interpreting online content, its ability to understand storytelling beyond just traditional semantic analysis has become essential. To this end, we are building systems to uncover hidden patterns, decode cultural signals and trace narrative timelines to reveal how disinformation takes hold.
Time of India
3 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Weaponised storytelling: How AI is helping researchers sniff out disinformation campaigns
It is not often that cold, hard facts determine what people care most about and what they believe. Instead, it is the power and familiarity of a well-told story that reigns supreme. Whether it's a heartfelt anecdote, a personal testimony or a meme echoing familiar cultural narratives, stories tend to stick with us, move us and shape our beliefs. This characteristic of storytelling is precisely what can make it so dangerous when wielded by the wrong hands. For decades, foreign adversaries have used narrative tactics in efforts to manipulate public opinion in the United States. Social media platforms have brought new complexity and amplification to these campaigns. The phenomenon garnered ample public scrutiny after evidence emerged of Russian entities exerting influence over election-related material on Facebook in the lead-up to the 2016 election. Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Save Big on Makeovers Kitchen Magic Get Quote Undo While artificial intelligence is exacerbating the problem, it is at the same time becoming one of the most powerful defences against such manipulations. Researchers have been using machine learning techniques to analyze disinformation content. At the Cognition, Narrative and Culture Lab at Florida International University , we are building AI tools to help detect disinformation campaigns that employ tools of narrative persuasion. We are training AI to go beyond surface-level language analysis to understand narrative structures, trace personas and timelines and decode cultural references. Live Events Disinformation vs misinformation Discover the stories of your interest Blockchain 5 Stories Cyber-safety 7 Stories Fintech 9 Stories E-comm 9 Stories ML 8 Stories Edtech 6 Stories In July 2024, the Department of Justice disrupted a Kremlin-backed operation that used nearly a thousand fake social media accounts to spread false narratives. These weren't isolated incidents. They were part of an organized campaign, powered in part by AI. Disinformation differs crucially from misinformation. While misinformation is simply false or inaccurate information - getting facts wrong - disinformation is intentionally fabricated and shared specifically to mislead and manipulate. A recent illustration of this came in October 2024, when a video purporting to show a Pennsylvania election worker tearing up mail-in ballots marked for Donald Trump swept platforms such as X and Facebook. Within days, the FBI traced the clip to a Russian influence outfit, but not before it racked up millions of views. This example vividly demonstrates how foreign influence campaigns artificially manufacture and amplify fabricated stories to manipulate US politics and stoke divisions among Americans. Humans are wired to process the world through stories. From childhood, we grow up hearing stories, telling them and using them to make sense of complex information. Narratives don't just help people remember - they help us feel. They foster emotional connections and shape our interpretations of social and political events. This makes them especially powerful tools for persuasion - and, consequently, for spreading disinformation. A compelling narrative can override scepticism and sway opinion more effectively than a flood of statistics. For example, a story about rescuing a sea turtle with a plastic straw in its nose often does more to raise concern about plastic pollution than volumes of environmental data. Usernames, cultural context and narrative time Using AI tools to piece together a picture of the narrator of a story, the timeline for how they tell it and cultural details specific to where the story takes place can help identify when a story doesn't add up. Narratives are not confined to the content users share - they also extend to the personas users construct to tell them. Even a social media handle can carry persuasive signals. We have developed a system that analyzes usernames to infer demographic and identity traits such as name, gender, location, sentiment and even personality, when such cues are embedded in the handle. This work, presented in 2024 at the International Conference on Web and Social Media, highlights how even a brief string of characters can signal how users want to be perceived by their audience. For example, a user attempting to appear as a credible journalist might choose a handle like @JamesBurnsNYT rather than something more casual like @JimB_NYC. Both may suggest a male user from New York, but one carries the weight of institutional credibility. Disinformation campaigns often exploit these perceptions by crafting handles that mimic authentic voices or affiliations. Although a handle alone cannot confirm whether an account is genuine, it plays an important role in assessing overall authenticity. By interpreting usernames as part of the broader narrative an account presents, AI systems can better evaluate whether an identity is manufactured to gain trust, blend into a target community or amplify persuasive content. This kind of semantic interpretation contributes to a more holistic approach to disinformation detection - one that considers not just what is said but who appears to be saying it and why. Also, stories don't always unfold chronologically. A social media thread might open with a shocking event, flash back to earlier moments and skip over key details in between. Humans handle this effortlessly - we're used to fragmented storytelling. But for AI, determining a sequence of events based on a narrative account remains a major challenge. Our lab is also developing methods for timeline extraction, teaching AI to identify events, understand their sequence and map how they relate to one another, even when a story is told in nonlinear fashion. Objects and symbols often carry different meanings in different cultures, and without cultural awareness, AI systems risk misinterpreting the narratives they analyze. Foreign adversaries can exploit cultural nuances to craft messages that resonate more deeply with specific audiences, enhancing the persuasive power of disinformation. Consider the following sentence: "The woman in the white dress was filled with joy." In a Western context, the phrase evokes a happy image. But in parts of Asia, where white symbolizes mourning or death, it could feel unsettling or even offensive. In order to use AI to detect disinformation that weaponises symbols, sentiments and storytelling within targeted communities, it's critical to give AI this sort of cultural literacy. In our research, we've found that training AI on diverse cultural narratives improves its sensitivity to such distinctions. Who benefits from narrative-aware AI? Narrative-aware AI tools can help intelligence analysts quickly identify orchestrated influence campaigns or emotionally charged storylines that are spreading unusually fast. They might use AI tools to process large volumes of social media posts in order to map persuasive narrative arcs, identify near-identical storylines and flag coordinated timing of social media activity. Intelligence services could then use countermeasures in real time. In addition, crisis-response agencies could swiftly identify harmful narratives, such as false emergency claims during natural disasters. Social media platforms could use these tools to efficiently route high-risk content for human review without unnecessary censorship. Researchers and educators could also benefit by tracking how a story evolves across communities, making narrative analysis more rigorous and shareable. Ordinary users can also benefit from these technologies. The AI tools could flag social media posts in real time as possible disinformation, allowing readers to be sceptical of suspect stories, thus counteracting falsehoods before they take root. As AI takes on a greater role in monitoring and interpreting online content, its ability to understand storytelling beyond just traditional semantic analysis has become essential. To this end, we are building systems to uncover hidden patterns, decode cultural signals and trace narrative timelines to reveal how disinformation takes hold.
Forbes
7 days ago
- Business
- Forbes
Smarter Engineers, Not Fewer with AI-Augmented Software Development
Smarter Engineers, Not Fewer I spent a day in the Silicon Valley with a number of enterprise CTOs driving innovation globally, and the CEO of an AI-native integrated development environment (IDE) startup - Windsurf. It provided me a great window into how software development is evolving. On the flight back, I was reflecting on the conversations, and here are my key takeaways on the rise of AI-Augmented Software Development: A New Development Stack is taking shape: Platforms like Cursor, Windsurf, Cognition's Devin and Microsoft's GitHub Copilot Workspace are pushing software creation beyond traditional IDEs. They're blending AI-native coding, persistent memory, automated workflows, automated workflows, and even autonomous task execution. This is not just about co-piloting code — it's enabling developers (and increasingly, non-developers) to move faster, more confidently, and with a radically different toolkit. For more on how modern data platforms are evolving to support AI-native tooling, see AI Maturity and Data Platforms: A Strategic Framework. And we're seeing a decisive shift beyond traditional IDEs. Platforms like natural language coding, context aware autocomplete, codebase understanding, and smart rewrites are redefining how software is built, and by who — and ushering in the new age of 'vibe coding' - coding in a relaxed, flowy, intuitive state, where the focus is less on structured problem-solving and more on experimenting, and following the creative 'vibe' of the moment - ushering in a new spate of creativity and innovation. But even with rapid progress, it's clear we're still early in the journey of AI-Augmented Software Development. Some of the key challenges that are emerging include the lack of persistent context - most models don't retain memory across interactions unless explicitly designed to. Or small-sample fragility - unlike humans, today's AI systems struggle to generalize confidently from limited data points. These limitations are why AI-Augmented Development requires more than just plugging models into the workflow. It demands critical thinking, engineering judgement and system design - taking the new role of the software developer higher up in the value stack. Some fear that AI will reduce the need for engineers. What I'm seeing is exactly the opposite: the expectations for developers are rising — and so is their leverage. What used to take months now takes a couple weeks; what needed a team now often takes one engineer - working with the right AI stack. This raises the ROI per developer, which in turn strengthens the business case for deeper investment in R&D - which in turn drives more software innovation. So it's not about fewer engineers. It's about more capable ones. I have been tracking the rise of Agentic AI and the penetration of Generative AI use cases across large enterprises, in part through the lens of our think tank - the Executive Technology Board, with some 150+ Fortune 1000 CIO, CTO, CDO and CAIO global members. In all the work we do with Generative AI - across sales and marketing and supply chain and back-office processing and R&D, etc. - if you're looking for a top enterprise use case where generative AI is already 'in the money,' — software development is clearly where it's at. For a deeper exploration of how and why Agentic AI is reshaping organizational structures and work paradigms, refer to Why the Buzz on Agentic AI. This isn't the end of engineering — it's the start of a more powerful, AI-augmented era — and the companies that embrace it now will define the next generation of enterprise innovation. The expectations of what can be built are shifting dramatically. The pace is accelerating. And the canvas is only getting bigger.
